I’m not sure where this photo came from originally (beyond space, that is). It was passed on to me via email and I thought it might serve those who don’t know where Acts of Volition lives and be of interest to those who do. If anyone knows the origin of the image, please let me know.

The pointed-crescent-shaped island roughly in the middle of the photo is Prince Edward Island, our island province of Canada. Our Island is wrapped by Nova Scotia and Cape Breton on the south and the east. New Brunswick, Québec’s Gaspe Penisula, and the mouth of the St. Laurence river frame us from the west and north-west. In the top right you can see the south-western tip Newfoundland.

For those that still aren’t oriented, Boston would be somewhere near the center of the very bottom of the photo.

I suspect those arms in the foreground are those of our soon-to-be robot overlords.

I started this weblog (three years ago this month) with friends. Over the life of this weblog, I’ve made friends and acquaintances through the web. Some of these friends from the web also became meat-space friends while others have remained connected only through the web.

Meeting people through the web and weblogs is nothing new. Weblogs are great at forming connections, and when geography or travel allows, solidifying these connections face-to-face is only natural. However, in recent weeks and months, I’ve seen the tide moving in the other directions. Real-world friends, family, and acquaintances are coming in to the world of weblogs.

It started a few months back, when my old friend and business partner, Dan James, started his weblog, CEOBlues.com (what a great name). Dan was a natural weblogger from day one. This was cool, but not really groundbreaking for me, as I already knew Dan in the digital sphere.

Then, more recently, my real-world friend Melda started a weblog. Also, my father experimented with a weblog of his own. Now, worlds are starting overlap. Another wise old friend, Ben Wright came out of the blue and is now a budding weblogger at the cleverly named Occasionally Wright (a TypePad powered weblog, on the recommendation of myself and others).

This blurring of worlds, real and virtual, is indicative of the beginning of a truly broad adoption of the web and of weblogs. We don’t think of ’telephone friends’ – we just call our friends on the telephone. So too shall it become on the web. I will meet friends from the web in the real world – I will meet friends from the real world on the web.

It’s all good.

Snail Spam

Real-world paper junk mail. Snail-mail spam.

While I was enjoying Winged Migration at City Cinema this evening (great film, worth seeing – here’s the trailer), a no-good-nik stole my portable CD player from my car.

While on the practical plane, stealing from an unlocked car is less of an ordeal than breaking into a locked car, I believe that on the moral plane it is a much worse transgression. For you, the thief, I hope the universe is more forgiving than I am (and I suspect it is). Also, I hope you enjoy my Pedro the Lion mix disc.

My friend Nick had an idea for a way of dealing with such injustices: the Punch-in-the-Face Tour 2003. The idea is simple, make a list of people who deserve it, and punch them in the face.

First on Nick’s list are the people in Markham, Ontario who made him send in a mail-in rebate to get the advertised price on a recent purchase of a wireless router (“Why don’t they just sell it for cheaper!?” exclaims an angry Nick as he brandishes his tour-namesake first in the air). For those interested, here is a PDF version of the tour logo (205 Kb PDF).

For the record, I have never (and hopefully will never), punched anyone in the face. I can’t speak to Nick’s entire history, but I don’t think he does it much either. Also, when we ask why companies that use mail-in rebates don’t just sell products for cheaper, it’s a rhetorical question – thank you.

If you hear someone humming along to Magazine by Pedro the Lion, punch them in the face.

Paul Martin (quite possibly Canada’s next prime minister) has a weblog. I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me thinks it’s great that weblogs can be used in mainstream politics. Another part of me is finds it creepy and suspicious.

To their credit, the writing is good. It appears to actually be written by Paul Martin, and in a style suitable for a weblog. They also feature two smart links at the top of the page: What is a blog? And Why does Paul blog? Very good questions for many people visiting the site — and with good answers.

Unfortunately, they are missing permanent links to each individual post. These are critical to a weblog, I think — particularly for interaction with other sites.

Though he did get me talking about him, I’m not going to vote for him. What I would really like to see is a Paul Martin weblog after the election (regardless of the outcome).

Last year when I posted asking for people to sign a petition asking for the release of the Northern Exposure TV series on DVD, over 1000 people came out of the woodwork before I turned it off. Despite my reluctance to fan the flames again (I was interviewed about it on a local radio show and my co-workers have never let me forget about it), there is some news.

I emailed the petition to a few of the companies involved in the production/ownership of the Northern Exposure series, but didn’t receive any responses. I doubt our petition had much impact (I’m sceptical that any online petitions ever have any impact). Regardless, there is now a glimmer of hope. A diligent reader has alerted us to a USA Today story run on Yahoo News:

While many beloved series have found a new home on DVD and on viewers’ shelves, a few holdouts such as Seinfeld and Northern Exposure remain — but not for long. DVD releases are in the works for both series. They are among the most requested DVDs on Amazon.com. [Source]

It’s not much — no release date or other info, but I can now look forward to the release and to listening to Chris on KBHR at my leisure.

Speaking of killing independent george, inspired by our weblog seminar last month, my father now has a weblog: BruceGarrity.com. He’s new to the medium, and it may take him a while to get the feel for it, but I think it’s a safe bet that he’s the only Charlottetown city councillor with a weblog.

Way to go Dad!

Killing independent George

To have disparate and independent areas of your life meet, usually in an undesirable fashion.

The term is based on an episode of Seinfeld where, to his great dismay, George’s fiancé starts to socialize with his other friends. Hilarity ensues.